Flag of Michigan

U.S. state flag consisting of a dark blue field (background) with the state coat of arms in the centre.

The coat of arms, derived from the Michigan state seal, has three Latin mottoes: “E pluribus unum” (“One out of many”), “Tuebor” (“I will defend”), and “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice” (“If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you”). The bald eagle of the United States serves as a crest, while an elk and a moose, supposedly based on the coat of arms of the Hudson’s Bay Company, serve as supporters to the shield. The central design of the shield shows a man with a rifle standing on a peninsula and the sun setting over surrounding waters. The coat of arms was adopted in 1835 and has been used ever since, with only minor artistic changes.

In 1837 a Michigan military company known as the Brady Guards received its colours from the state’s first chief executive, “Boy Governor” Stevens T. Mason, who acquired his nickname by being elected at age 23. The company flag was blue with the new state seal on the obverse, a popular design among U.S. military units at the time. Michigan formally adopted blue military colours in 1865 and a state flag of the same tint in 1911.